Pillars of the Earth: An Epic Melodrama (A Review)

Having faith in God did not mean sitting back and doing nothing. It meant believing you would find success if you did your best honestly and energetically.

Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett is a long historical fiction epic about the construction of a cathedral in England in the middle of the 12th century, during the Anarchy.

The book is a series of linked melodramas written in the style of a modern thriller, with clear, easy-to-read, fast-moving language. The main theme of the book is the evolution of English society into a nation of laws rather than the capricious whims of the powerful. Clever, hard-working people who want to fulfill their dreams of building the cathedral are consistently opposed by the machinations of the local nobility. At first, I thought the book was going to be like a less-fantastical Game of Thrones, with multiple complex point-of-view characters that had layers of overlapping or equally compelling claims and goals. I was mistaken. The book instead began to feel like The Smurfs, with a depraved, rapey Gargamel constantly after the good guys in an almost episodic format.

Fortunately for me, I like The Smurfs. I enjoyed reading about the cleverness of the protagonists and their problem-solving using medieval technology. The unfamiliar historical time period provided a fascinating setting. And the characters themselves were rich and well-drawn, if a bit cartoony and at times driven by plot.

This is not a perfect book. Many books that I have given 4 stars to are much better-written, with more nuance and complexity and beautiful language. I gave this one 5 stars because I cared about the characters (at one point shedding tears), and I was entertained throughout. I had 5 stars worth of fun.